Virtual Private Wire Service (VPWS) is a VPN service that supplies Layer 2 point-to-point (P2P) connectivity between sites. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has presented a Request for Comment (RFC) 4448, entitled “Encapsulation Methods for Transport of Ethernet over MPLS Networks”, which defines a solution to support VPWS for Ethernet connectivity using Ethernet over Multi-Protocol Label Switching (EoMPLS) pseudowires (PWs). This is a proven and widely deployed technology in service provider networks, however it suffers from a number of shortcomings:                Label signaling is done via the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and service endpoint discovery is either through manual provisioning or through the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). So, for auto-discovery, the network operator needs to run and maintain two sets of protocols.        Redundancy is limited to active/standby mode, and the backup PWs are not used to carry any traffic. Hence, there is no load-balancing capability, unless a cluster/virtual-switch solution is used.        Local repair mechanisms are not defined.        Inter-Autonomous System (Inter-AS) redundancy is complex, and convergence requires exchange of two sets of messages to deactivate the group of primary PWs and activate the group of backup PWs.        